The Price and the Gift
by Kyokukou
Summary: It seems that everyone is after Ranma for revenge of some sort. But that is normal for Ranma, until the powers that be seek a sort of vengence.


The Price and the Gift  
  
By Kyokukou  
  
  
  
  
Ranma screamed again . But the pain would not be stopped by that . He   
screamed louder , from the primal depths within . But the pain would not be   
released . Ranma could not feel his limbs splintering boards as he thrashed .   
Such was not Ranma's world . Ranma's world was anguish .   
Claws of ebony tore at him , pronged pain lashing out from the abyss that   
had engulfed him .   
A girl told him that his heart meant nothing to her but something for her to   
hate .  
A man in a white gi hurled him further into the abyss , screaming   
encouragement to the ebony claws .  
A mother stood so far away , an endless blade bridged the abyss between   
Ranma and her , but the only way was to walk the killing edge .  
Ranma writhed , Ranma howled , Ranma knew there was to be no reprieve .  
  
----  
  
" Gods ! What's wrong with him ! What's happening ?" She shouted , to be   
heard over Ranma's screams .  
" We've got to wake him up !" Soun stared at Ranma's thrashing form , looking   
for a safe opening . Genma laid across the room , unconscious , for lack of such   
caution .  
" RANMA WAKE UP !" Akane screamed as Soun saw his chance and lunged .  
  
  
****  
(Four hours earlier)  
  
" So what are you offering ?" Ryouga narrowed his eyes at the woman .   
Something instinctive told him to beware . " What exactly ?"  
" I believe I have already gone over that in detail ." The woman smiled   
salaciously at him . " I offer you a chance to do what you have always wanted   
done . Saotome Ranma to see hell ."  
" And the price ?" He demanded . Something was really wrong when a goddess-like   
woman smiled at him like that and blood didn't spew from his nose as his   
systolic blood pressure shot past two hundred .  
" The prrrice ?" The woman sidled up to him and practically purred . " The price   
is well worth paying , but high . Firstly , you won't be present for Ranma's   
...punishment . Secondly , you must willingly give me a small amount of your   
blood . Thirdly , you must give me a drop of Ranma's blood ."   
Ryouga tried to back away from the woman , only to back into the corner .  
" Why the blood ?" He asked , looking at the wall as if it had betrayed him .  
" This will be done by magic of course ." Now having him cornered the woman   
wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself onto him . " You said that   
Ranma's made you see hell . So we need some of your blood . We need his for   
obvious reasons . You do want you final revenge , don't you ?" She pulled   
herself up , sliding across his body , until they were eye to eye . " Or do you   
desire more ? Tell me Ryouga , how can you stand such a lonely life ? Perhaps we   
could forgo your revenge entirely for something else ?" Her nose brushed his as   
she drew closer . " What would you do if it could be arranged so that you never   
became lost ever again ?"  
By this time more warning sirens had gone off in the Hibiki brain than   
Ryouga knew were there . However , he was at a loss to get his arms to throw the   
woman off of him . He felt like jelly all over .  
" Or , perhaps you might not want to rid yourself of wanderlust ? What if , just   
what if ..." She closed her eyes and brought her lips to his .  
Ryouga had been kissed before in his life . However , he never knew a kiss   
could be what she was doing . It felt like pure ardor flowing directly into him   
. Before he knew it he was returning the kiss as his arms , no longer jelly ,   
responded without the command of his mind .  
"...what if I could always accompany you on your wanderings , just so you're   
never lonely again ?"   
He felt his mouth open to answer . Only stuttering came forth . He closed it   
and thought for a second . Oh , never to be lonely again , pining away in the   
dark for his one love Aka-  
" NO !" Before he knew what he was doing his arms exploded into motion , shoving   
the woman away , hard . What was he thinking ? Even such thoughts were betraying   
his love .  
The woman screamed in pain as her arms dislocated , she screamed again as   
bones broke upon her impact with a booth .  
Ryouga stared in horror at what he had done . She could be dying ! He rushed   
over to the battered woman , only to recoil as she leapt to her feet lightly ,   
no trace of harm on her .  
" You didn't have to be so forceful ." She rolled her eyes at him before   
flashing a brilliant smile . " But I forgive you . The offer will remain open ,   
alright ?"   
" Wha-who-I...aww hell I'm outta here !"  
When the eternally lost boy tries to get lost , what happens ? He makes   
Gulliver look like a homing pigeon .  
  
  
****  
  
Soun managed to block the flailing limb in time , but the impact sent him   
skidding along the floor and into the wall .  
Ranma suddenly went rigid before folding into a fetal ball . Akane was at   
his side in an instant . Crying her eyes out . Kasumi rushed over to aid her   
father . Nabiki remained backed up against the wall , staring in horror .  
  
  
****  
(Three hours earlier)  
  
" Would that I held within my wondrous power the cantrip to bring low that   
fell sorcerer ." Kuno Tatawaki stared down at the chess table and frowned . His   
opponent and guest was quite formidable . Odd that his twisted sister would have   
such a friend .  
" What would you give , what task or quest would you take for such a elixir ,   
such a boon as the power to strike down the weaver of all the lies ? And knight   
takes queen ."   
" AH !" He gaped at the masterful maneuver for a moment . In one blow she had   
rendered his entire strategy asunder ! Oh to find such conflict worthy of his   
countless hours of practice . Such an opponent , such beauty , such a mind ! How   
in the name of Heaven did his twisted sister earn such a friend ?  
" You ask as if you held such a weapon that could strike true when all mine had   
fallen but short . Rook takes bishop ."  
The girl frowned at the board for a moment before answering .  
" I , myself , lack such a thing . However , I am acquainted to one of such   
erudition as he might know of means yet somehow beyond your tried methods . Pawn   
advances ."  
" So intimate would you be as to be apt to answer a query of mine ?" He asked as   
he pondered the board . That last move's purpose escaped him entirely . Was it   
mere distraction or to block a path of his or mayhap open another for her ? Such   
a formidable girl ! How in hell's many names did his sister know her ?  
" A question ? Perhaps I might or perhaps it might be beyond me ."  
" Fair enough . You're acquaintance would not be the incarnation of all ends ,   
would he ?"  
Hearing his words , the girl froze . " What ?"  
" Pardon me , let me rephrase a bit . The one you speak of would not be a man or   
creature of evil , offering to fulfil a dark desire by still darker means ,   
would he ?"  
The girl relaxed and gave him a reassuring look .  
" Oh no . Far from such , I assure you ."  
" My skepticism once aroused to such a conclusion will have to be dissuaded by   
more than assurances , due to its nature you see . Knight takes pawn ."  
" I quite understand ." The girl nodded with a smile . " If you cannot embrace   
my overture with uplifted heart then take it not . Hereby , I retract the   
proposal ."  
" Then may I know what the nature of this acquaintance be ?"  
The girl smiled and fiddled with one of her chess pieces before looking up   
at him . " You may question me , and with all veracity , I will answer ."  
" Permit a fool to digress , fair one ?"  
" Yes ?"  
" How did my sister come to know you ?"  
" She doesn't ." The girl smiled , a beautiful sight Tatawaki felt that he could   
grow quite fond of .   
  
****  
  
Akane's heart beat so fast she all she could hear was her own blood roaring   
in her ears . Ranma had stopped screaming , stopped moving . He was starting to   
grow cold in her arms , cold so fast !  
" Ranma ! Ranma !" She sobbed over and over again , a mantra she prayed would   
somehow call him back to her from whatever gripped him .  
  
  
****  
(Two hours earlier)  
  
" Who's there ?" Gosunkugi looked about him , the candles on his head   
providing light in the dim room .  
" Just me ." A voice came from behind him .  
He whipped his head about so fast the candles flickered out . But he had   
enough time to glimpse the face of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in   
his life .  
He stifled a scream .  
" Calm down ." The contralto voice giggled . " I'm not here to hurt you ."   
" What are you here for ?" He fumbled over the books that he had been studying   
in his haste to crawl away under cover of darkness .  
" Hold on a sec ." The woman's hand was suddenly on his shoulder . If it had   
been possible he would have jumped out of his skin .  
Unexplainably the room was illuminated once more , albeit dimly . The   
delicate hand turned him around until he was sitting facing her .  
" Who are you ?" He asked , half in fear , half in awe .  
" Call me whatever name you like ." She smiled at him , sitting down demurely   
across from him . " Name's aren't all that important when there're directed at   
me ."  
" Alright , what are you ?" He continued , trying to match her form and face to   
some description he had read in the many tomes of magic he owned . Could she be   
a demon come for his soul ? An angle here to save it ? Or an entirely   
independent entity with its own agenda ?  
" What I am cannot properly be explained in any language ." She continued to   
smile , as if she had all the patience of the ocean .  
" ...Um...where are you here ?" He tried , so far he could not think of what she   
was or why she wanted something from him . All his spirit and demon summoning   
attempts had either failed or gone awry in the past , but he hadn't done   
anything of that sort for months !   
" I am here to ask you a question and make you an offer ."  
" OH NO !" He yelped and tried to escape . Only to find after he fell to the   
floor that she held one of his ankles in an iron grip .  
" Do you hate Saotome Ranma ?"  
" Lemme go !" He clawed at the floor , seeking leverage .  
" Do you hate Saotome Ranma ?"   
" Please ! I've done nothing to you !" He pried at her fingers to no avail .  
" Do you hate Saotome Ranma ?"  
" YES Damnit ! I hate him !" He snarled , still straining to be free .  
" Would you see him dead ?"  
" Wha- NO ! I don't hate anybody that much ." Caught off guard by the question   
he stopped struggling , for now .  
" So what would you do to see your hate slated ?" The beautiful woman asked him   
in tones that made him shiver . " Would you see Ranma suffer ? Suffer in ways   
even he cannot imagine ?"  
" What ? Why the hell would I do that ?! I don't like Ranma because he's engaged   
to Akane ! I don't really hate him . I guess I just dislike him with a great   
deal of animosity . If he wasn't engaged to Akane I would wish him well ."  
" So....you don't want to see him burn in hell ?" The woman frowned in mild   
confusion .  
" No !" Gosunkugi snapped .  
" Not even suffer as you have all your life ?" She tried .  
" I just want Akane to like me and not him ." He stated .  
" No suffering for Ranma ?" She said in a uncertain voice .  
" No ." He shook his head .  
" Not even a little ?" She held up her thumb and forefinger , only a centimeter   
apart from one another .  
" Sorry . I'm not that wrathful ." He shrugged , wondering what was going on .  
  
  
****  
  
" Ran-" Akane's mantra was interrupted as she suddenly convulsed . Sending   
the inert form of Ranma rolling away . The youngest Tendo gripped her chest as   
if her heart were being torn from it . Akane's mouth opened in a soundless   
scream before she toppled over .  
" No , no , I'll not lose anyone again !" Soun bellowed , racing over to his   
stricken daughter .  
Kasumi was at her father's side in an instant , seeking to aid any efforts   
that could be made .  
Nabiki pressed herself deeper into the wall , as if she could melt through   
it and escape the horror before her .  
  
  
****  
(One hour earlier)  
  
" What do you really desire , Tendo Nabiki ? I know it is not money ,   
despite how you present yourself ." The woman paced around her .  
" For a lucid dream you seem a lot like something from my subconscious ." Nabiki   
commented dryly . She had always had a talent for recognizing when she was   
dreaming . It always made nightmares so much easier to get rid of .  
" Then poof me away ." The woman shrugged .  
Nabiki willed the woman to disappear in a puff of mint scented smoke .   
Nothing happened . Odd . So she tried to manifest a chocolate ice cream cone in   
one hand . It was there . So this was a dream but...  
" This is a dream , you're right . But how does that guarantee you absolute   
power over it , eh ?"  
" It's my dream in my mind ." She answered .  
" Ahh , but only ten percent of your mind is what you think of as 'you' . The   
rest is very much you , Nabiki , but outside of what you experience in life ."  
" Are you another damned Freudian ? Well listen Id , I am the Ego and if you   
don't start doing what I say I'm calling the Superego out to help me ."  
" Call away ." The woman smirked in a very familiar fashion .   
" You asked for it !" She cried in triumph .   
Ranma suddenly appeared at her side .   
" Eh ?" The woman looked surprised at the manifestation . " He's your choice of   
Superego ? Your conscience and protector ?"  
" He's my version ." She patted Ranma on the shoulder . " I've idealized him   
more than a bit , but who would be a better choice ?"  
" Mother Teresa , or Kasumi ."  
" Who would be a better choice for me ?" She quipped .  
" Oh....anyway , shouldn't you be sending him to attack me so I can demonstrate   
the futility of it ?"  
" Oh yeah ." She nodded . " Ranma , make her kneel to me ."   
" Why ? She hasn't done anything ." Ranma looked at her quizzically .  
" Bad choice to try to use your moral sense as an enforcer ." The woman smiled .  
With a thought she poofed Ranma away again .  
" Alright , lets cut the crap and get to the chase ." She sighed . " Who are you   
and why are you in my dream ?"  
" Call me by whatever name you like ." The woman said . " I assure you I have   
been called worse ." She added , seeing Nabiki smile momentarily .  
" I'll call you Id then ." Nabiki manifested a chair for her to sit in . " Now ,   
why are you here ?"  
" To ask you things that you would never answer truthfully in the waking world   
outside of the privacy of your mind ."  
" Once I have answered your silly questions then will you leave me to my own   
dreams ?"  
" Yes , yes , then you can have your threesome with Ranma and Ryouga ."  
" Yea-HEY ! I was most definitely not doing to dream about that !"   
" Oh yes , that was last night ."  
Nabiki gave the woman the coldest stare she could . " May I ask why you find   
it necessary to dig into my memories of NON-lucid dreams I've had ?"  
" You may ask but I won't answer ." Id manifested her own chair and sat down   
facing Nabiki .  
" Let's get this over with ." She sniffed , acting as if she cared not .  
" Very well , Nabiki , I ask you again what do you desire ?"  
" I desire many things , everyone does ." She answered evenly .  
" Fair enough . Do any of these desires pertain to Saotome Ranma ?"  
" Yes ." The middle Tendo daughter answered .  
" Do you desire Ranma for yourself ?" Id asked , nodding to the space that   
Superego Ranma had occupied only moments before .  
" How many girls wouldn't , on one level or another ?"  
" I'll take that as a conditional yes ." Id nodded . " What would you do to   
obtain Ranma for yourself ?"  
" Nothing ." Nabiki snorted . " He's Akane's . I would never even dream of   
taking him from her ."  
" Oh but yo-"  
" It was a figure of speech and you know it !"  
" Sorry ."  
" I desire Ranma ," She admitted , but with a raised hand to quell any comments   
before she was finished . " but then again I also desire to rule the world .   
Both of which I know I will never have . There're childish fantasies , that's   
all they are , fantasies . I know that if I were the one engaged to Ranma I   
would probably have had a tougher time of it that even Akane has . She nearly   
died only a few weeks ago !"  
" I see ." Id replied , her expression professionally unreadable .  
" What about you ?" Nabiki countered . " What do you desire ? What do you yearn   
for in private that you know you will never have ?"  
Id was completely silent , her eyes drifting down to the space at her feet .   
Nabiki thought she saw tears in the other woman's eyes .  
" I desire to be released from my duty , so that I'm never alone again ." Id   
whispered , as if some god might hear and be enraged by such words . Then the   
woman looked up again , the professional mask back in place .  
" So , there is nothing you would have done , past or present , to change what   
Ranma has done ?"  
" What do you mean change ?" Nabiki inquired cautiously .  
" Let me tell you something that will not surprise you in the least . Ranma is   
in trouble . Deep trouble . He's angered something that should never be angered   
. This boy has ruined the harmony of a force that needs balance of mind more   
than anything else ."  
" You're right , I'm not surprised ." Nabiki leaned back into her chair . " So   
who did Ranma piss off this time ? The eighth lucky god ? Saffron's big brother   
so someone more powerful ?"  
" How close you are , yet so far ." Id said lightly , despite the seriousness of   
her expression .  
" So how does this concern me ? I know it has to some how ."  
" Unless you deem it so , much of the weight of Ranma's punishment will fall   
upon you sister , Akane ."  
Nabiki sat bolt upright . " How ?"  
" The price that Ranma must pay can only be paid by both himself and his   
unwitting accomplice , Akane . If Akane pays this price with Ranma she could   
quite possibly die . Ranma cannot pay the price alone . However , the one who is   
charged to exact this price can shift much of the burden to Ranma . Sparing you   
sister's life . However , this will almost certainly kill Ranma ."  
Nabiki took a deep breath , trying to clear her mind despite the paradox of   
already being in it .  
" Alright , but why ask me ? How do I have any say in this ?"  
The other woman stared into her eyes , as if searching for something .  
" You , because Kasumi would be forever paralyzed with indecision . You ,   
because Soun's mind could not tolerate the concept of letting a loved one die as   
his wife , your mother , died . Akane and Ranma do not have any say in this ."  
" Why the hell not ?!" She snapped , suddenly incensed . " It's their lives that   
we're talking about !"  
" Do they ask a criminal if he would like to be punished or not ?" Id asked   
reasonably .  
" What crime has Ranma committed !?" Nabiki narrowed her eyes .  
" Hubris , defiance of nature's laws , insubordination to the powers that be ,   
pissing off what no one ever should , call it whatever you like , but call it   
two counts ."  
" So , because of something Ranma did I have to decide whether or not he's going   
to die and take my sister with him ?" Nabiki eased back into her chair , trying   
to take a assessment of how deep the trouble was .  
" Yes ." Id nodded .  
" Wait , none of this even makes sense . Why were you asking me about desires if   
all of this was about Ranma's punishment ?"  
" It would have been so much easier to manipulate you into unwittingly making a   
judgement . Your mind would be free of guilt due to ignorance . However , you   
are much too stubborn and time grows short ."  
" Hold on a second ! What do you mean 'time grows short' ?"  
" If you do not make a decision then by default -if you will- the punishment   
will fall upon both with equal measure ."  
Nabiki stared at the woman before her and knew what it meant to hate .  
" I have to decide who's life is more important to me , Ranma or Akane's . Then   
I chose Akane , damn you , I chose Akane to live . Shift whatever it is over to   
Ranma ."  
" It is done ." The woman closed her eyes and faded away like mist .  
  
  
****  
(Three minuets earlier)  
  
----  
" Whoa......what happened ?" Ranma blinked . He had just been beating Ryouga   
, Happosai , and Herb all at once when everything suddenly turned into a black   
void . Had there been stars he would have thought he was in space .  
A woman appeared before him . She had to be the most beautiful woman he had   
ever seen . Just the sight of her inspired a awe that only his natural caution   
fought down .  
" Alright , who're you ?!" He demanded , falling into a fighting stance .  
" That will keep for now . So , before then , may I ask you a few things ?" The   
woman seemed familiar somehow .  
" What's going on ? What happened to Ryouga , the Freak and Herb ?"  
" This is a dream ." The woman replied .  
" Huh ?"  
" Yes , you're dreaming ." The woman clarified patiently .  
Ranma thought for a moment . The last thing he could remember before the   
fright started was going to bed .  
" Weird ." Ranma shrugged . He'd heard about lucid dreams before , but he had   
never actually had one .  
" So , could you answer a few questions for me ?" The woman asked .  
" Uh ... sure I guess ." He shrugged again . " I mean you're just a figment of   
my imagination , right ?"  
The woman smiled for a moment . " Do you love Akane ?"  
" Glad this is a dream , yeah , I do ." Ranma marveled at how easy it was to say   
when he knew no one would hear him .  
" What would you do for her ?"  
" I'm going to protect her as long as I live ." He proclaimed , feeling rather   
good about himself at the moment . After all he had just been taking on three of   
his toughest opponents and winning hands down . Man , dreams were fun .  
" What would you do to save her from death or fates worse ?"  
Now he grew grim . " Anything . Absolutely anything ."  
" Even if it meant that you might never see her again ?"  
" Of course ." He nodded gravely . " Even if she lost her memory of me or   
somethin' I'd still do anything ."  
" So , no crime is to great if it's for her sake ? No punishment to severe to   
suffer for her ?"   
" Hold on a second ." He put his hands up . " Whaddya mean crime ? If you mean   
stealing medicine to save her , then sure . But I can't think of any crime other   
than that that would save her from something ."  
" What about punishment ? Would you take years of torture to spare her ?"  
Ranma gulped , this was getting scary . " Yeah , I would ."  
" Would you kill to save her ?"  
" Yeah ." He hung his head , remembering Saffron . This was getting way to   
complicated for easy ethical answers .  
" Do you think she would do any of these for you ?"  
" I....I don't know ." He breathed softly . " Can you stop now ? I don't want   
to answer any more questions ."  
The woman looked down at his feet , her face obscured by her hair .  
" Very well , I have heard enough . You may ask what you will ."  
Finally , his turn . " Alright , who are you and why are you here ?"  
The woman looked up at him with eyes that blazed rage . Eyes that held all   
the anger off the ages . And it was directed at him . Oh shit .  
" I am the one you have sinned against , and I am here to deliver your   
punishment !"  
" Now what'd I do ?" He snorted , disgusted with himself , it seemed like he had   
to piss three people off every time he made one person happy .  
" You have sinned against Death ." The woman proclaimed in tones that froze his   
body down to the marrow .  
In instant the woman was gone , replaced by a figure his own height ,   
dressed in a Shinto priest's robes , but without flesh upon his form . Two   
pinpoints of white light shone out from empty eye sockets .  
YOU HAVE SINNED AGAINST ME . Death proclaimed in a voice that resonated from the   
fabric of reality itself . Ranma fought not to be overwhelmed by it alone .  
Death waved a robed arm as it spoke .   
Suddenly they were standing on a high hill overlooking a bloody battle that   
Ranma would never forget .   
Ranma watched in trepidation as the other Ranma down below tore the God   
Saffron limb from limb in blind rage .   
YOU HAVE SLAIN A GOD . Voiced Death . NO MORTAL HAND SHOULD EVER STAY THE   
IMORRTAL LIFE . THIS IS YOUR FIRST SIN AGAINST ME .   
Once more the hand of bone brandished .   
Now they stood behind Ranma as he held Akane's limp form in his arms ,   
weeping .  
Akane's face remained ashen and inert to the sorrow of a young man . Then   
color returned , moments later her eyes fluttered open again . The light of a   
soul behind them .  
YOU TOOK HER FROM ME . THIS IS YOUR SECOND SIN .  
" What the hell !?" Ranma shouted at the skeletal figure . " I had to go through   
Saffron to save Akane !"  
BUT YOU FAILED . AKANE DIED . YOU KILLED A GOD . THEN YOU TOOK HER FROM ME .  
" Saffron's been reborn ! He's not dead !" Ranma protested .  
MY DOING . A BALANCE NEEDED TO BE RESTORED .  
" Akane didn't die , she-"  
WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHO LIVED AND WHO DIED ? I AM DEATH . AKANE DID DIE , I   
HELD HER SOUL . BUT YOU TORE HER FROM ME BEFORE SHE COULD BE GUIDED !  
It was if everything shook with each wrathful word . Pain throbbed through   
Ranma as Death continued to speak .  
YOU , A MORTAL , TOOK HER FROM ME AND BOUND HER SOUL BACK TO HER BODY .  
" H-how ? I don't know what you're talking about !"  
NO , YOU DO NOT . Death agreed , the world around Ranma seemed to calm . Ranma   
only hoped this calm was not the eye of the storm .  
I WILL EXPLAIN . YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO UNDERSTAND . Death voiced . LET US USE   
METAPHOR , AS I DOUBT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND YOUR SIN OTHERWISE . YOU EXIST IN   
THREE PARTS , A COPOREAL BODY , A SOUL , AND ENERGY TO BIND THE TWO . YOU CALL A   
PORTION OF THIS ENERGY'S SPECTRUM 'KI' . THIS IS THE THREAD THAT BINDS THE SOUL   
TO THE BODY . WITHOUT THE BODY THE THREAD DISSOLVES AND THE SOUL IS RELESED INTO   
MY CARE TO GUIDE IT TO IT'S ULTIMATE FATE . DO YOU UNDERSTAND SO FAR , SAOTOME   
RANMA ?  
" I guess so ." He said tentatively .  
AFTER AKANE'S THREAD HAD SINCE DISSIOVED AND HER SOUL FLED YOU TORE A PORTION OF   
YOUR OWN THREAD TO BIND HER SOUL BACK TO HER BODY . AKANE'S LIFE ONLY REMAINS   
BOUND TO THE MORAL COIL BY YOUR OWN THREAD .  
I HAVE WAITED UNTIL HER OWN THREAD HAS STARTED TO FILL IN WHERE YOUR OWN COULD   
NOT EXTEND . NOW THAT SHE MIGHT YET PERSERVERE THROUGH YOUR PUNISHEMT I HAVE   
COME .   
HOWEVER , I HAVE BEEN MOVED BY YOU . IT IS NOT MY NATURE TO BE WRATHFUL , SO I   
AM PREPARED TO OFFER YOU ANALTERNITIVE TO WHAT I HAD PLANNED . Death paused ,   
eyes of light roving over Ranma . WILL YOU SUFFER UNDER YOUR OWN TORMENT ,   
YOUR OWN WORST NIGHTMARE , FOR EVERY DAY THAT AKANE HAS LIVED UNTIL THIS ONE ?   
OR WILL YOU LET ME DO WHAT I HAD PLANNED ?  
Ranma prayed that his foot would not find his mouth . " I hate to ask , but   
what exactly did you have planned that would make a seventeen year long   
nightmare a better alternative ?"  
THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT .  
Ranma stood there , staring Death in the eye . His mind offering only   
questions , not answers . Oh well , ask a question then .  
" Why are you giving me a choice if what I did was so bad ?"  
The young martial artist could feel the world lighten around him for a brief   
moment .   
BECAUSE IT WAS A CRIME OF INNOCENCE .  
" Will this alternative hurt Akane ?"  
YES .  
" Will what you had planned hurt her more ?"  
YES .  
" Then I have no choice ."  
THERE IS ALWAYS CHOICE , RANMA . ONLY YOU CAN GIVE YOURSELF NO CHOICE .  
" I choose the alternative , if it will harm Akane less than the other thing ."  
THEN SUFFER , SAOTOME RANMA , SUFFER AS ONLY YOU CAN TORTURE YOURSELF .  
Death faded away as the abyss opened and engulfed him . Then the pain   
started . He screamed . The pain only grew worse as images and forms grew from   
the abyss .  
Ranma screamed again . But the pain would not be stopped by that . He   
screamed louder , from the primal depths within . But the pain would not be   
released . Ranma could not feel his limbs splintering boards as he thrashed .   
Such was not Ranma's world . Ranma's world was anguish .   
Claws of ebony tore at him , pronged pain lashing out from the abyss that   
had engulfed him .   
A girl told him that his heart meant nothing to her but something for her to   
hate .  
A man in a white gi hurled him further into the abyss , screaming   
encouragement to the ebony claws .  
A mother stood so far away , an endless blade bridged the abyss between   
Ranma and her , but the only way was to walk the killing edge .  
Ranma writhed , Ranma howled , Ranma knew there was to be no reprieve .  
Not for seventeen years ...  
  
  
----  
  
" Not Akane ." Nabiki whispered . " You said you'd spare her ." She prayed .  
" She's still breathing ." Kasumi said to her father .  
" Ranma !" Soun whirled around . Assured of his youngest's continued survival he   
rushed over to Ranma . " Snap out of it son !" Strong hands shook the inert form   
, Ranma unfolded like a limp doll .  
Tears steamed down Nabiki's face , tears that had not fallen since her   
mother's funeral . She turned and ran from the room . This was all her fault .   
Had she made a deal with a demon ? Could she have prevented this ?   
She found herself on her bed , sobbing into a pillow . Oh , how could she   
have done this , even to save Akane ?  
Akane's eyes opened weakly . She looked up into the tearstained face of her   
eldest sister . " How's Ranma ?" The youngest Tendo rasped .  
" He's fine , he doesn't seem to be in any pain anymore ." Kasumi assured her   
little sister .  
" Idiot , scaring me like that ..." Akane mumbled before fainting .  
Once she was sure that Akane had merely fainted , Kasumi looked to her   
father .  
" He's still alive ." Soun said gravely . " But I can barely feel a heartbeat ."  
  
  
----  
  
It was over ? After what seemed like an eternity in hell , falling through   
the abyss , he had fallen out the other side ? What the hell ?   
Now it seemed he was sitting in the waiting room of a hospital .  
HELLO .  
" DWAAA !" Ranma yelped , as he turned around . Death sat next to him , reading   
an issue of some foreign magazine .  
NOW WAS THAT SOUL SHATTERING ?   
He nodded dumbly . People walked by , but no one seemed to notice either of   
them .  
WAS IT WORSE THAN YOU COULD HAVE IMAGINED ?  
Again he nodded .  
GOOD . NOW DON'T GO KILLING GODS AND RAISING THE DEAD AGAIN . OR AT LEAST ASK ME   
ABOUT IT FIRST .  
" Ask you ?" He blinked .   
WELL , LET'S SAY THAT I LIKE YOU , RANMA . THINK ABOUT HOW MANY TIMES YOU SHOULD   
HAVE DIED .   
" Er...lots ?" He didn't feel like estimating anything . His mind still echoed   
from nigh-eternal torment . " So you've been watching me ?"  
SINCE BEFORE YOU WERE BORN . Death voiced before dissolving into a mist for a   
moment . When the mist resolved the woman from so long ago was back .  
She laughed , such a musical sound . " Although I don't know about the other   
incarnations . They were out for you too , but I closed a deal before them ."  
" What ?" He gulped .  
" Although , I had the advantage over them . I'm constantly doing these 'lets   
make a deal' things . But the incarnation of Evil came real close to getting   
Ryouga to cooperate ."  
" Wha-I-he-....never mind , I don't wanna hear about it ." He shook his head for   
a while . It seemed clearer now , although far from what it should be .  
Ranma looked around again then at her . " Why are you a woman ?"  
" Why shouldn't I be a woman ? I'm a force of the universe ." She sat up   
straight . " I rather like this form , it's what my last friend looked like .   
She and I were good friends for seventy years until the day she died , two   
hundred years ago ."   
" ....whatever , I should be used to weird my now . Why shouldn't I be friends   
with Death ? I'm a cursed martial artist with three fiancées , a little demon of   
an old man for a master and a panda father . It makes as much sense as all the   
rest , right ?" He sounded just a tad hysterical to himself .  
Death smiled at him in a way he could not help but compare to Kasumi . That   
alone left him with the conclusion his mind still had a few cracks in it from   
his recent punishment .  
" I still don't know what to call you ." He continued , unconsciously rubbing   
his forehead with one hand .  
" Name me ." She ordered .  
" Keiko ." He said for reasons he couldn't quite pin down in his current mental   
state .  
" Then I'm Kayama Keiko , your cousin and childhood friend ." Keiko smiled at   
him mischievously . " Just tell that to everyone when we get home ."   
Ranma opened his mouth to protest when he realized just how stupid it would   
be trying to tell Death not to do something it...she wanted to do .  
He looked around again at the waiting they occupied . " Keiko , why are we   
here , and how come nobody notices us ?"  
" Because , we are not actually here . This is Nerima General Hospital ,   
seventeen years ago . We , are really in your mind , well , mostly in your mind   
that is . I pulled some strings -the other incarnations have short attention   
spans once punishment is over- and got you a special treat that may make those   
seventeen years of torment a little more worthwhile ."   
" Did it for Akane , that's what makes it worthwhile ." He stated .  
" This has everything to do with Akane ." Keiko nodded . " I just thought that   
all the horror would wear on your poor mind . I just wanted to give you   
something that would allow you to repress and replace those memories ."  
" What ?"  
" Watch ." Keiko gave him a knowing smile .  
A nurse came into the room . Everyone stood up at once . For the first time   
Ranma realized that everyone in the room was male .  
" Tendo-san , it's a girl ." The nurse smiled at a much younger Soun .   
" Another girl !" Soun seemed bewildered but ecstatic all the same .  
" Please follow me , Tendo-san ." The nurse motioned for Soun to accompany her   
down the hall .  
" Go on ." Keiko urged . " Follow him , and remember to be patient ."   
With that said Death faded away . Shaking his head he got to his feet and   
hurried to catch up with Soun .  
Only a few rooms down the hall the nurse directed Soun inward . Ranma   
followed , feeling odd that no one acknowledged his presence even though   
everything seemed solid enough to him .  
Inside he saw a woman he had never seen before except as a photograph .   
Akane's mother . And the little pink squirming thing she held wrapped in a   
blanket had to be Akane . Only a few minutes old .   
Ranma sat down on the floor hard . Emotions of all kinds overwhelming him .  
By the time he felt in control again everyone had left , save for little Akane   
and her mother . Both lay asleep in the dim light streaming through the hospital   
curtains .  
Cautiously he approached the crib beside the bed . To his surprise the   
little baby's eyes opened a fraction and Akane began to cry . Ranma began to   
panic .  
" Shhh , shhh , shhh ." He leaned down and tried to quiet the child . Before he   
thought better of it he reached into the crib and stroked her soft head . His   
hand looked bigger than her entire body . " Shhh , Akane , it's just me ." He   
said , marveling at how tiny she was .  
Akane stopped crying before her mother could wake up . A tiny hand tried to   
grasp one of his fingers . Ranma laughed , too busy to notice that he was   
interacting with her when nothing else seemed to acknowledge his existence .  
--  
The next day he had to walk from the hospital all the way to the Tendo   
household . Surprisingly it looked different . The yard had a few small trees ,   
some rose bushes , only the house and Dojo remained as he knew they were to be .  
He got there long after Akane's mother and little Akane had . But when he   
walked in it was to a house a bustle with two children and a baby . Kasumi raced   
about talking incoherently about her new baby sister . Nabiki , thought the new   
baby was a new toy that never seemed to do the same thing twice .  
Ranma took to standing in the corner of rooms , watching events unfold as   
the ghostly observer he now was .  
--  
Akane grew at a phenomenal rate . Before he knew to expect it she was   
crawling around the house , chasing Nabiki or -naturally- playing baby while   
Kasumi played mother . He shared Soun's pride when Akane took her first steps .   
And he marveled at her eyes , so bright , full of energy and wonder .  
--  
One day Ranma broke his usual habit of standing in the background , and   
crowded around with the Tendo family as Akane was about to say her first word .  
" waaBLLLL !" Akane treated them all to a raspberry and giggled .  
" Any day now ." Soun told himself and left the room .  
" I was so sure ..." His wife followed .  
" waablll !" Nabiki returned Akane's raspberry .  
" waablll !" Kasumi joined in before tottling off , Nabiki in hot pursuit .  
Akane looked around before settling her eyes on him . Over the months he had   
noticed that she could most definitely see and hear him , but he was probably   
transparent because she usually ignored him if someone else was in the room .   
But they were alone again . So he knelt by her crib and tickled her side .   
Feeling the incorporeal touch she giggled and squirmed with delight .  
" But you're not supposed to like boy's , eh ?" He smiled and relented long   
enough for her to catch her breath . " I'm a boy ."  
" Boy ." She said .  
He froze for a moment .  
Seeing his funny reaction , she said it louder . " Boy !"   
In and instant the entire Tendo family was back in the room , ears straining   
to hear .  
" BooooooooY !" Akane crowed before falling over and sucking her thumb .  
--  
Ranma knew that he had probably not changed a day since finally escaping his   
nightmare . But he could not help but feel old as he watched Akane play in the   
trees with her friends . She was almost eight . He had been watching her day and   
night for almost eight years now . Never needing to eat , drink or anything . He   
was here to watch her grow up and that was all he wanted to do .  
So he climbed the tree too . An easy enough thing considering that it barely   
even reacted to his weight , as if it was there but only partially .   
" Can't get up this high , can you ?" Akane taunted a boy on the ground .  
" You'll fall if you don't pay attention !" The boy's sister warned .  
" I'm fine . See ! no hands !" Akane raised her hands and waved .  
She started to slide off the limb almost immediately . Not thinking , he   
reached out and scooped her up just as she had left the limb . In one motion he   
leapt and took her into his arms . The ground rushed up to meet them , Akane   
cringed as they fell .   
" I may be able to touch her , but I'm still not solid ." He thought in the   
moment between the ground and them . So he rolled , to place his body between   
the ground and Akane .  
He felt no pain upon impact , only the tingle as Akane passed through him ,   
onto the ground . He panicked , it hadn't worked !  
" Akane !" One of her friends rushed over . " Are you hurt bad ?"  
" ...No...I'm alright I think ." Akane answered , puzzled by her own uninjured   
state .   
He rolled away and stood . Akane had already gotten to her feet and was   
rubbing her sore bottom . After a awkward moment someone piped up .  
" Well , she's alright so let's go do something else ."  
" Right , no more tree climbing !" Akane agreed .  
With nothing more said the small band of children ran off . Leaving him to   
stare . Had he ever been allowed to be that carefree at seven ?  
--  
As Akane grew older she lost the ability to see him . But in times of stress   
or in the uncertainty of night she could still hear him and feel him .  
This night she needed him . This night they had gotten the call from Soun at   
the hospital . Mother was never coming home again .   
Akane lay on her bed curled up around a pillow , sobbing so hard he   
sometimes thought she might hurt herself . He could do nothing more than sit   
beside her and hold her with intangible arms and sooth her with words she might   
not hear .  
" It's alright ." He leaned down an whispered into her ear .  
" It'll never be alright ." He heard her sob .  
" It hurts , doesn't it ?"  
" S-s-so much ."  
" But it won't always hurt so much ." He said , his mind searching for words the   
imagined Kasumi might say . " Do you know that your mother is watching us ?"  
" W-wha..." Akane stopped sobbing , she lay there , motionless , waiting for his   
next words .  
" I'm afraid that she'll always be watching you now . No way to hide , she'll   
always be there with you ."  
" I can't hear her ."   
Ranma fought his mind for the words . Come on , he had been with Akane since   
she was a few minutes old , he should have learned a thing or two about   
parenting from osmosis at least ! THINK ! What would Kas- what would Akane's   
mother say ?  
" Do you need to hear your voice to know you're around ?"  
" no ...."  
" You are a part of your mother . She is a part of you . Carry her with you as   
she watches you . It hurts now , I know , but it won't always hurt so much ."  
Akane said no more as she quietly cried now until her tears stopped after   
sleep had taken her . Even then he did not leave her side . But something told   
him to look up .  
There across the room stood two women he would never forget . Keiko , and   
beside her , Akane's mother . Before he could say anything the woman that had   
given birth to and raised Akane nodded to him in loving , but sorrowful approval   
before fading away .  
--  
Oh Gods in heaven here we go again . Ranma rolled his eyes and continued to   
read the paper over Soun's shoulder .  
" DADDY !" Akane yelled down the stairs .  
" DADDY don't listen to her !" Nabiki yelled at the same time .  
" She stole my CD player !" Akane accused .  
" She gave it to me for collateral on a loan !" Nabiki voiced at the same time .  
" I did not !"   
" You did so !"  
Thirteen was not a good age for Akane . Only four more years to go .  
--   
" You can do this , Akane ." He urged , knowing full well that the fifteen   
year old had long ago lost the ability to hear him . Nowadays , she could only   
feel his presence as a suspicion in times of emotional crisis . When logic could   
not remind her that such a presence was impossible .  
The fifteen year old girl marched up when her name was called . She had   
advanced through the local tournaments , taking the highest scores for both kata   
and kumite . Now she stood before the judges of a National tournament .  
Her voice shook slightly as she announced her kata after bowing . Once she   
was sure the judges were watching she launched into her kata . It was perfect   
...well as perfect as could be expected of a fifteen year old . He felt his   
chest swelling with pride . He knew she could do it , after all , he had seen   
her begin her training and had watched her every day . However , it came as a   
complete shock when Akane cried out . He watched , helpless , as her leg slid   
out from under her , an unchecked puddle of sweat betraying her .  
She fell to the mat without a sound . She stood without a sound , and   
resumed her kata as if nothing had happened .  
" YEAH !" He cheered . If anything the judges should giver her high marks for a   
graceful recovery from such a fall .  
However , their faces were regretful as they held up their scores once Akane   
had finished .   
She took sixth place , losing fifth by only a half a point .  
" That's me...the klutz ...the clumsy idiot ..." Akane cried to herself in the   
locker-room after the others had left .  
He sat beside her and cursed himself for his inability to give any comfort .   
Then he felt someone coming , someone powerful .  
" Tendo Akane ?" A middle aged woman entered , she had been one of the judges .  
" Yes ?" Akane answered , quickly trying to hide her tears .  
" I just wanted to say that I was most impressed ." The woman sat down on the   
other side of Akane . " I looked into your record and I have to say that it's   
not every day that someone comes out of nowhere and takes the tournament circuit   
by storm like you have ."  
" W-what ?"   
" All the girls that placed above you , none of them made it to nationals their   
first time through . The girl that took first . She's been to nationals three   
times and she only took first by one point . You're a prodigy , Akane , and I   
look forward to seeing you next time ." That said , the woman gave Akane a pat   
on the shoulder and left while the young teen was too shocked to reply .  
" I knew it ." He smiled at Akane , who looked through him at the door . " I   
knew you could do it . Next time there won't be a puddle to stand in your way ,   
Akane ."  
--  
" Alright , what's gonna happen ?" He asked himself while Akane walked in   
front of him on the way home from school . " If I remember right , I'm gonna   
show up with Pop this evening . So what happens then ?"  
Would Death take him back to his body ? Would he merge into his own body and   
sort of have a second chance at things ? Or would something completely different   
happen ? Probably the latter .   
" Akane , I have an offer from Kuno ." Nabiki jogged to catch up with her little   
sister .  
" Tell him that he can go feed himself to his sister's pet ." Akane sniffed .  
" That would solve a lot of problems ." Ranma agreed , being able to chime in   
without worrying about being clobbered for ANYTHING he could say had its   
advantages .  
" Seriously , shouldn't you find some way of getting rid of Kuno ?" Nabiki asked   
once she had caught up . " Find a boyfriend that can swat him or something ?"  
Akane stopped walking , and waited for Nabiki to stop also . " Nabiki , you   
know very well that all boys are sick perverts that want nothing more from me   
than to get into my pants ."  
" Dress ." Nabiki pointed to the school jumper they both wore .  
" Whatever !" Akane snapped . " They're all sex crazed . I'm waiting until the   
testosterone simmers down , like when I'm in college ." Akane started walking   
again , Nabiki fell in step beside her .  
" Date a college guy then ."  
" Nabiki !"   
" What ?" Nabiki looked genuinely baffled . " You're sixteen , he'd be nineteen   
or twenty for a freshmen . What's so wrong with the girl being three or four   
years younger ?"  
" It just is ."   
" Mother was three years younger than Daddy ." Nabiki pointed out .  
" But that was different ." Akane quipped .  
" So what if it was an arranged marriage ."   
" You're impossible !" Akane threw up her hands .  
Nabiki merely giggled . Ranma just walked along and laughed .  
--  
Ranma sat in Akane's room and thought . Akane sat at her desk and struggled   
against the most illogical and accursed Human language in common use , English .   
The sounds of a certain young and dumb heir to the Anything Goes school of   
martial arts drifted up from the floor beneath .   
" I think I remember this argument ." Ranma thought . His other self was   
currently trying to get out of a loan payment from Nabiki . Tonight was the   
night that Death came for his punishment . This was the end of his watch over   
his betrothed . Seventeen long years , he felt much older now . But he had never   
found a mirror to see his face , so he could not be sure if he had aged in his   
ghostly form . Yet , he still felt so much older . Which was why he detested the   
person downstairs . The immature brat that had never been raised properly .   
" I guess I needed another seventeen years away from Pop to fix what went wrong   
with the first seventeen ." Ranma thought to himself .   
Soon the house grew quiet as those that lived there went to bed one by one .   
After he was sure Akane was asleep he set off to where his former self was   
sleeping .  
Someone he had not seen in a very long time stood over the Ranma that lay in   
slumber .  
" Keiko ." He said .  
" Do you understand why I did this ?" Death asked as she knelt by the mumbling   
boy .  
" So I could learn ." He began . " Learn about myself , about Akane , about life   
as it should be and as it is . I needed seventeen years to grow up , and you let   
me grow up along with Akane . I learned to wait , to watch , to listen , and to   
love her for who she is and not who I thought she was ."  
Death smiled , it was the most beautiful sight he had seen outside of   
nature's miracles .   
" Then let us close the circle . Ending at the beginning is best I think ."  
As she spoke the tall , skeletal form of Death faded in beside her . Death   
looked from Ranma to the future Death .  
I AM GLAD I KNOW THE ENDING TO THIS JOURNEY .   
--  
  
  
Ranma woke to the sound of voices .  
" He's still alive ." Soun said gravely . " But I can barely feel a heartbeat ."  
Ranma opened his eyes and realized that Death had taken him . But Death had   
also spared him .  
" That took entirely too long ." He rasped . Glad to finally be home again .   
Many times he had yearned to take Akane into his arms just once . To hold her   
when she was crying , to feel the warmth of her hand when they walked together .   
Now he would do those things , now he had learned to love such things .   
Then again , he also had a few new problems now that so many old ones were   
solved . Such as , how to explain to everyone who Keiko was when she showed up   
tomorrow ? Oh well , that was for the future , he had had his fill of the past .  
Soun watched with concern as his future son in law drifted off into natural   
slumber . The Tendo patriarch would have sworn that Ranma had looked as if at   
the end of a long , but joyful journey .   
Unnoted by those still awake a figure stood in the hall .  
INDEED , TENDO . Death voiced , the words unheard by anything living . TOMORROW   
WE WILL START A JOURNEY TOGETHER RANMA . BUT THAT IS TOMORROW .  
So Death faded from the Tendo home . Pleased with the night's work , the   
sin's price , and the gift's fulfillment .  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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